Swinney says his son’s future drives his commitment to Scottish independence

John Swinney has said his commitment to Scottish independence is driven by the future of his 15-year-old son, Matthew, in an unusually personal speech to the SNP conference. The Scottish first minister also argued that Scotland should not settle for the regional devolution model he associated with Manchester, while setting out new policy pledges [1].

Swinney’s voice quivered as he spoke about his son, BBC Scotland political editor Glenn Campbell reported. When the autocue stalled, Swinney muttered, “oh, come on”; after a pause, the audience gave him a standing ovation [1].

He did not mention Labour leader Andy Burnham by name, but his remarks appeared to respond to Burnham’s recent appeal for the union, which had invoked his father, Campbell wrote. Swinney said: “Some think we should just be like Manchester. Well, I'm afraid I disagree. Scotland is no city. We are no region. We are a nation and soon we will be an independent nation” [1].

Swinney said independence was “very close”. Campbell noted, however, that there would be no further referendum unless public support for Scottish statehood rose and remained higher [1].

Bus fares and other pledges

Swinney presented action on everyday concerns as part of the case for his government. He confirmed that the Scottish government’s £2 bus fare cap would extend to north-east Scotland from April. The cap is already in place in the Highlands and west-central Scotland, and he said it should cover the whole country by the end of the current parliamentary term. He also said the government would bring the bus network under public control through franchising and regulation [1].

The speech included plans to make misogyny a specific criminal offence and new funding for community groups fighting racism. Earlier in the week, Swinney told Campbell he intended to lead the SNP into the 2031 Scottish Parliament election [1].